If having a summer birthday and being the youngest in your squad is hard, imagine being the last in your group of friends to turn 21. After all, you were already the last to get your license and buy smokes. Yet again, your social status is threatened.

When all your friends start posting pictures of bowl-sized margaritas, you have a serious case of FOMO. You decline to be someone’s formal date to NOLA because, on Bourbon Street, the street will be all you see. Although the struggle is definitely real, the struggle to get a fake ID and stay out of trouble is much more real.

Getting the ID

There are three common ways to fake your way to 21. For those lucky enough to have a cool older sibling, you can ask to use their old ID for your night on the town. However, how many people really look exactly like their older sibling?

If you have the kind of face that looks like an impersonalized Mii, you could potentially find someone’s real ID and pretend to be that person for the night. Although, the likeliness of finding a willing ID donor that you could pass off as is like trying to find all the answers to an online test on Quizlet.

Lastly, you could preorder and customize a fake ID through online manufacturers. There are several popular online fake ID sources. Although their reputation for fake IDs has proven successful, yet not surprisingly they have equally scammed customers.

Currently, ID God has been modified and still produces fake IDs for many states, but attaining identification is much trickier than most expect. Buyers are expected to transfer their money into Bitcoin.

Well, ID God takes it seriously to turn your cash into a Matrix-style code and send it to an anonymous location. It is also worthy to mention that the fake ID is manufactured from China; at that rate, it might arrive in your mailbox after your big 21Beer com Wine Wine Events Food Localwineevents Worldwide Or st birthday. Not surprisingly, most fake ID websites don’t appear to care about customer service.

Getting that drink when you’re under 21 isn’t easy, and not worth it at times (Image via Mitchel Lensink)

Having the ID

You went through hell finding “the guy,” your one-way pass towards partying it up with your friends. Luckily, you didn’t get scammed and now have the taboo fake ID. Right on!

More than likely, your golden ticket to alcohol will be rejected on several occasions. Like in the movie “Superbad,” be prepared to disappoint your other minor friends by not dishing out all the liquor for the upcoming party.

Even with your ID in hand, get ready to be denied entrance and face the deep-voiced wrath of the bouncer humiliating you in front of your clique and other of-age bar attendees. Despite memorizing your ID details, studying up on the background of your ID and rehearsing, “I am just a late bloomer,” your card will most likely be rejected.

When you sign up for a fake ID, you might end up with more than you bargained for (Image via Garett Mizunaka)

Getting Caught

Getting rejected is a fake ID rite of passage. You already went through the hassle and dodged a scam, why not just bathe in the benefits and ignore any potential consequences? It worked for the Titanic, right?

Wine Beer Localwineevents Wine Food Events Worldwide com Or I hate to burst your bubble, but there are several serious consequences to consider if you’re planning a Friday night on the town. On the lower end of the spectrum, using your real name and personal information on the fake ID website can possibly make you an identity theft victim.

Whoever created your fake ID could obtain access to all kinds of sensitive information, possibly even your bank account based upon how you paid. Several things on a license shouldn’t be shared and can result in various unsuspecting outcomes as a result.

Secondly, getting caught by police can be marked on your permanent record. If you are 18 or older, this mark is a guarantee. This is the opposite of desirable when you’re applying for big boy careers. You don’t want to waste all your hard work at school and in your internships, only for employers to find out you were desperate enough to get a fake ID.

Third, nothing is less cool than having your license revoked. Though this law varies from state to state, the consequences are nothing to joke about. For example, if you’re caught with a fake ID in Florida, your license will be revoked. In other states, your fake ID will set your party years forward four years; when you receive your 21-year-old license, these states will raise your legal drinking age to 25 if you have a fake ID on your record.

If that wasn’t enough, it can get much worse. If you are caught using someone else’s real ID, you can face fraud charges.

Even if you were just trying to get a mimosa for brunch, some judges won’t take it easy on you for stealing an identity. The severity of the felony can vary by state, but with this consequence can come with a year of meeting with a probation officer, volunteer hours and/or jail time.

College culture’s foundation is built on youthful deviance; getting a fake ID is just another stupid college move. As an adult in college, you are free to make your own choices and your own mistakes in turn. That being said, follow your heart and make your decisions carefully, young grasshopper.